The Florida Department of Corrections has opened a specialized unit to treat mentally ill inmates at Wakulla Correctional Institution Annex.

The new Residential Continuum of Care treatment facility is made up of housing units that provide safer and more effective treatment for inmates with serious mental illness, the agency announced Wednesday.

"This facility is a testament to the Department’s commitment to better serve inmates with severe mental illness," FDC Secretary Julie Jones said. "The housing units will not only create a safer environment for officers and fellow inmates, but they will better prepare these inmates for reintegration into the general population and communities upon release.”